Laura Moon's Chili

Submitted by The Geeky Chef

"This one appeared in Neil Gaiman's novel, "American Gods." When Shadow Moon gets out of prison he eats his first meal as a free man at a bar that claims to have the best chili in the state. After a couple mouthfuls he decides that the chili is good, but definitely not the best in the state. He then begins to reminisce about his wife's far superior chili. No recipe was given directly by Gaiman, but many of the the ingredients were mentioned. I took what Neil wrote and expanded upon it to create this recipe. Hope you enjoy!"

 

• Ready In: 3hrs
• Ingredients: 18
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 2 lbs lean meat
• 4 (15 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) bottle dark beer
• 2 hot peppers, sliced
• 1 cup red wine
• lemon juice
• 1 pinch fresh dill
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 (14 ounce) can beef broth
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 3 1⁄2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 white onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes

directions

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onions, garlic, lean meat in oil for 10 minutes, or until the meat is well browned and the onions are tender.
2. Mix in the diced tomatoes with juice, dark beer, wine, tomato paste and beef broth.
3. Season with chili powder, cumin, dill, cayenne pepper, coriander and salt.
4. Stir in carrots, 2 cans of the beans and hot chile peppers.
5. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 2 hours.
6. Stir in the 2 remaining cans of beans, and simmer for another 30 minutes.
7. Top with sour cream and cheese if desired!

Reviews

[breezermom]

I have to say....I really need to read the novel! This is a good chili...not overly spicy. I used sirloin steak, diced. Like others, I didn't really taste the dill, although I did use it. I used the jalapenos, and didn't seed them so I'd get some heat. Everything else about the recipe I left the same. Wasn't sure about how much lemon juice, so I just added a splash of it. I cooked it a bit longer, and waited to review it until it sat in the refrigerator a day....I was hoping for some increased heat. Technically I'd give this a 4 1/2, but Zaar won't allow that. Thanks for sharing your recipe....love trying other chili recipes!

 

[MarraMamba]

Wow what a terrific chili. Made as directed, i think the little extras like dill are terrific as are the mix of liquids. I drank a guinness along with it since that was my dark beer.

 

[Jamilahs_Kitchen]

I had to skip the beer and the wine but it was still delicious. I also skipped the dill because of the previous reviewers comment that it would go unnoticed. I added a bay leaf and some Worcestershire sauce for the missing flavor. My family loved it. Thanks. Made for PAC Spring 09.

 

[teresas]

This is worthy of 10 stars!!! We just loved it. This has the Wow!!! factor we are always looking for. Boy is this spicy and we love spicy. I did cut the recipe in half, I uses a light beer and used fresh tomatoes. Lemon juice?? I used a splash of it and 1/2 tsp of salt. Dill???? never would have thought to use it in a chili recipe and really didn't taste it so I think you could omit it. The meat was nice and tender. I did drain the last can (s) of kidney beans because the the chili was getting soupy. I guess I should go find the novel. :) Thanks for posting. Made for Spring PAC 2009

 

[Red Scorpion]

I loved this recipe so much that I am now looking for the Novel! Can't wait to curl up on my first free rainy day, by the fire with this book and a hot bowl of the Chili! Thanks for submitting such a wonderful recipe.